Whirlwind Spring Recap

Matt and I have been going non-stop this Spring with yard work, running, family gatherings, weddings and work trips. As a result, I’ve been pretty bad about blogging (I need to use our rare down time to relax!!). Nevertheless, I do want to share what we’ve been up to so I’ll attempt to use this post as a catch-all recap of our Spring…

After returning home from California in mid-April, we spent a weekend in New Jersey to celebrate the marriage of two of our college friends, then I raced three weekends in a row (Rick’s, St. Tim’s, and Elwyn) before we embarked on another work trip, this time to Baltimore. We were in Baltimore for three days and got in some good meals and two nice runs around the Inner Harbor (which is beautiful!!).

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor (5/6/14)

My mom and “Fie” (5/24/14)

After Baltimore we were home for a few weeks during which I ran three more races (Victory, Rocky Run, and Radnor). We also celebrated Mother’s Day, my mom’s and brother’s birthdays, and Memorial Day, AND started on a major home landscaping project… ripping out and replanting all of the overgrown shrubs along our front walk (more on that in a future post!). For my mom’s birthday I did a photo shoot of her on her new horse and then Matt and I had my mom and stepfather over for a fancy dinner of grilled salmon and avocado with roasted corn relish and Mexican rice pilaf. (And don’t worry, that recipe will be up on the blog soon!!). 🙂

After Memorial Day we had the pleasure of taking care of Matt’s parents’ German Shorthair, Bella, for a few weeks. Bella patiently watched us dig up stumps in the front yard (fun!), went running with me at Ridley Creek State Park, and, best of all, got to come with us to the Hunting Camp where she got to experience the central PA wilderness. We were at the Hunting Camp for 3 days, during which we hiked and ran over 20 miles. Matt and I also made a big taco dinner for everyone on Saturday night but we were too busy cooking and eating to take photos of the food, sorry!

Bella in the car after our Ridley Creek run (6/3/14)

Blue Diamond Lake (6/7/14)

Bella at the Hunting Camp (6/6/14)

Matt and I left the Hunting Camp late Saturday night so that we’d be home for our first wedding anniversary on Sunday. We celebrated by sleeping in, doing some yard work, then spending the afternoon wine tasting at our wedding venue, Sweetwater Farm and Grace Winery. The winery recently started hosting dog-friendly tastings so Bella came along and happily flopped on the ground between our chairs as we sipped our wine. After the tasting we had dinner at La Porta, our favorite local restaurant, and then returned home to — you guessed it — MORE yard work! 🙂 Good thing we both like hauling rocks, compost, and stumps around!

Anniversary wine tasting (6/8/14)

Nuclear power plant! (6/10/14)

The Tuesday after our anniversary we headed out of town again, this time for a work-related trip to a nuclear power plant to do a nighttime lighting demonstration. It was a productive visit but between the Hunting Camp (4 hours away) and nuclear power plant (5 1/2 hours away) it meant that we spent close to 20 hours in the car in less than a weeks’ time. And the road trips weren’t quite over yet…

On Saturday we were on the road again, this time to Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey for another fantastic wedding celebration. The weather was perfect and we spent the night in Asbury Park right next to the boardwalk and the beach. I loved waking up to the view of the beach and sand right outside our window. New Jersey is pretty nice!

Asbury Park Beach (6/15/14)

Waking up in Asbury Park, NJ (6/15/14)

That’s about it for my whirlwind Spring recap. Now that our travels are done (until 4th of July, at least), I’m hoping that we might have a little more time to kick back and relax. First I need to make it through the Media 5 Mile race on Friday night! 🙂

Malvern is a little north of us but it’s actually where I went to high school. If you like beer, there’s a really good restaurant in the neighboring town of Paoli called TJs. They have an enormous beer selection and really good nachos. (http://www.tjseveryday.com/).

If you like sushi/thai/chinese there’s a great place called Fusion Asian Restaurant just south of Malvern in West Chester. We just discovered it a few weeks ago and the food is amazing. (http://www.fusionrestaurantpa.com/). Have fun while you’re in the area!!! 🙂

Holy moly you’ve been a busy lady! I literally squeaked out loud when I saw your Baltimore pic. I’m so glad you had fun here! Hunting camp sounds really cool and Bella is adorable. Good to see you back and good luck on Friday!

The Inner Harbor was really beautiful and had great vibes. We arrived on a Tuesday night and there were people (and runners!!) EVERYWHERE. It’s nice to see people out enjoying their city. 🙂 Philadelphia has a major highway (95) running between the city and the Delaware River so its waterfront just can’t compare.

Hi! I'm Annie and I live with my husband, Matt, and our GSP, Piper, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. I blog about the yummy food that we make, my ever-expanding garden, and our hiking and running adventures.